Victoria Porteous, NCPS

Victoria Porteous draws on more than a decade of professional experience and her own life journey to inform a compassionate, pragmatic approach to therapy. She first engaged in therapy at age 22 after the death of her mother, a period marked by intense anger, isolation and self-defeating behaviours compounded by an addictive personality. That personal experience of therapy proved transformative and shaped the way she works with others, emphasising connection, openness and practical change.

In session she keeps the tone conversational and personable, often using humour where appropriate and avoiding rigid, clinical scripts. She aims to create a space where conversations can feel natural rather than formal, and she will at times offer respectful challenges to help clients consider different perspectives and move forward.

Professionally, Victoria has partnered with a government-backed trauma charity, running its counselling services for 18 months during COVID and working mainly with people recovering from complex trauma. She also provides services through charities that receive referrals from doctors and government agencies, and she maintains a private practice offering counselling and coaching onsite. Her background includes work as a private investigator, a role that contributed to strong listening skills, attention to non-verbal cues and a methodical approach to gathering information and making sense of clients' experiences.

Victoria holds the NCPS credential, which is a professional counselling qualification, and she is also qualified as a Menopause Healthcare Professional. Clients and colleagues have left very positive feedback, with average review scores reported as 4.9 or 5 out of 5. She has received testimonials from a range of professionals and public figures, including a former Executive of Glasgow City Council, Scotland's leading and award-winning criminal defence and human rights lawyer, and a Paralympian gold medalist and Nike athlete. She is also a regular contributor on national radio, speaking on topics such as mental health, social equality and current affairs.

Victoria works with individuals on a broad range of concerns, including relationship and family difficulties, trauma and abuse, self-esteem challenges, coping with life changes, stress and anxiety, addictions, grief, intimacy-related issues, parenting and career questions. She has particular focus on estranged family relationships, blended families and step-parenting, and she addresses areas such as abandonment, attachment and personality-related patterns, codependency, communication and control issues, and substance use. Her clinical approaches include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Emotionally-Focused Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy and Internal Family Systems.

Victoria describes her practice as tailored to the individual. She aims to be the kind of therapist she wished she had when things felt bleak - authentic, curious and committed to asking the right questions to help clients feel understood and supported. She accepts clients in the United Kingdom and offers multiple ways to engage in therapy, and she invites those ready to make positive changes to consider booking sessions.